Suite Romantica
by Carys Langley
Summary: AU, Atobe x Fuji , “We were never meant to be...but he swept me off my feet, and nothing else mattered.” Starring Fuji as a helpless romantic, and Atobe as...himself. Sort of.


**Disclaimer: **I no own.

**A/N: **I figured a ToFu multichapter was overdue for me, but I'm kind of an epic fail with this pairing, so I'm treading carefully. Please tell me what you think, please and thank you. And if anyone wants to be an absolute darling and **BETA **this for me, I'll love you forever! Just let me know via PM or review. Please enjoy.

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**Suite Romantica  
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[AU, Atobe x Fuji] "We were never meant to be...but he swept me off my feet, and nothing else mattered." Starring Fuji as a helpless romantic, and Atobe as...himself. Sort of.

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**Prelude: Leggiero **

**_// light //_**

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-

Sometimes, I thought about falling in love. Okay, so maybe it wasn't just sometimes, it was most times, since I was what most people called a helpless romantic. Even Oshitari Yuushi, romantic extraordinaire, and my best friend, said my romantic logic was particularly helpless—and it was funny, because he considered himself something of an expert when it came to sappy romances.

Maybe that was why I was doomed. Though I thought my love story would never be something like this...but perhaps the fact that I thought that way sealed my fate. He was perfect, after all, and perfectly charming, like the hero of any love story should be.

In fact, Atobe Keigo was so perfectly perfect that he knew it too.

-

-

Oshitari's sweet sixteenth birthday bash spared no expenses. It was a grand affair, and held in one of the largest, fanciest ballrooms that the most expensive hotel downtown (the Bright Hotel and Suites, Tokyo) could offer. It was catered by a five-star restaurant that served all sorts of authentic European cuisines. Not all of his guests spoke Japanese, and I was pretty sure that even Oshitari didn't know everyone in the room.

I was nowhere as rich as Oshitari was, so my present to him was not among the humongous pile stacked up on a side table. I was smart enough to give him something ahead of time, and it was something that he would always be addicted to. I thought it was trash, but he thought the newest romance novella by Elizabeth St. Lucia was the best birthday gift—ever.

It hadn't even cost that much. Was I a genius or what?

A suit-clad waiter passed by me and offered me a lemonade in a thin wineglass, which I took. The liquid was cool and refreshing, and I thought of my own sixteenth birthday, rather, my fourth. There was no possible way that my parents could afford anything of such grandeur, but I'd never minded...much.

Oshitari was gracious, he had almost offered to share this party with me, although I was five months younger than he was and my own birthday seemed like a long time off. But I couldn't let him do it, even if he was my best friend, best friends did not steal parties from one another. I was perfectly content to don a suit and come to his party.

That was enough for me. And that said a lot—I wasn't exactly comfortable in a suit, and I couldn't imagine hours upon hours of being stuck in a suit, and in the limelight at the same time.

No one noticed as I took my lemonade and ducked behind a few tables to head to an abandoned corner.

I didn't know it then, but the corner that held my solace also held Atobe Keigo. He pretended not to notice me as I came to the corner with my lemonade. I noticed him though, I noticed the way that his suit was custom-made and tailored in Germany, I knew this, because Oshitari had taught me the nuances of telling where suits were made. This one, a dark gray tuxedo that flattered Atobe Keigo from head to toe, had all the telling signs of a German custom tailor job.

When I passed him, he smelled faintly of very expensive cologne, it wasn't a scent I recognized, but was subtle and warm, and I decided I liked it a lot.

To my not quite sixteen self, Atobe seemed so much older than I was, an imposing figure that knew what he wanted, and what he was doing. I later found out he really was much older than I was...he was twenty-two to my not quite sixteen. But that hadn't really seemed to matter, since I hadn't known all of those things.

And even if I had continued to be ignorant in all things, it wouldn't have mattered...he was still thrilling, and enthralling.

He was drinking something that didn't look like lemonade, although it was yellow. Unlike lemonade, it bubbled. He was drinking champagne, and because I was wondering if he was old enough, I asked him:

"Should you be drinking that?"

He looked at me. And his hard gray eyes softened, and then laughed at me, '...Maybe not. I'm driving home."

I said, rather dumbly, "You drive?"

He looked at me again, like I was an idiot. "...Just today, I gave my driver the day off."

Staring down at my lemonade, I suddenly wanted to slap myself, hard. Or maybe kick myself. I had to sound, so, so stupid in front of—whoever this was, and he was still laughing at me. Only his eyes were laughing, his mouth was permanently stuck in a smirk. But it wasn't a bad thing.

"...You must be Fuji Syusuke, Oshitari's told me a lot about you." He offered, taking pity on me because I couldn't stop fidgeting.

I stopped, "Yuushi...told you about me?" I felt my cheeks grow very red. No doubt Oshitari fed this stranger tons and tons of embarrassing stories. I made a mental note to punch him later. Or even better, I could spill juice on his new suit.

He was looking at me like he expected some sort of reply, I bit my lip, "...That's not fair, I don't know who you are."

And I didn't, at the time.

The stranger looked scandalized, "You don't?"

"Am I...supposed to?"

"Of course you are." He huffed, as if my not knowing his name was terribly important, "...That little prat, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind later. To think that Yuushi didn't tell you....but ore-sama supposes it can't be helped, really. Yuushi is really just a prat." He sighed and brushed hair out of his face. I saw that he wore a watch, it looked heavy, and expensive.

He was still waiting for me to say something, so I stared at my glass and said, "...Who are you?"

"My name is Atobe Keigo."

And he smirked the most dazzling smirk that I had ever seen...and it made my face burn. I took the hand he held out and realized he had nice smooth skin, and long fingers. There was a ring on his middle finger, a big, fat diamond.

Atobe saw me looking, and smirked some more, "Have you never seen one?"

I hurriedly searched my memory, and after a moment, I shook my head, "...I know Yuushi has one, but yours is...bigger. It's pretty."

That earned me a strange look, and because I hadn't read half as many novellas as Oshitari, I didn't know that my words could have meant something else. I blinked back at him.

"What?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. You just...would you like to wear my ring until the end of the party? You can go show it off to Yuushi."

Before I could say anything, he slipped the ring onto the thumb of my left hand. I was so helplessly skinny that even that wobbled loosely. I looked up at him in absolute wonder. And he smirked at me, "...Is that... all right?"

"If you don't lose it, I don't see why not. It looks good on you."

His smile was dazzling too, I realized. That made me shy all over again, and my eyes trailed to the ring on my finger. His ring on my finger, it was loose, and many years later, I would realize something else.

"Atobe-san?"

"Yes?"

I fiddled with the ring on my finger, and I knew by the way my face reddened again, that he was watching me. I carefully slid the ring off, and on again. "What did Yuushi tell you about me? You don't have to answer, I guess, I'm just curious."

Atobe looked surprised, and then he got that devious little glint his eyes again. It was the same glint he had worn when he had put the ring on my finger. "Oh, he told me all sorts of things, but I think he was just trying to make me jealous."

"What?"

He merely shrugged and reached a hand out to pat my shoulder, in a way that should have been degrading, but I was too struck to say anything. "Nothing, I'll come find you later."

I nodded, and watched him disappear, empty champagne glass in hand. But I didn't feel too bad, his diamond ring was heavy on my finger, like a promise that he had to find me later.

Just like Cinderella, and her glass slipper...sort of.

-

When Oshitari saw Atobe's ring dangling proudly from my finger, he did a double take of sorts. "Where did you get that?"

"From Atobe-san." I said, smiling, holding my hand so that the diamond glinted. "He said I could wear it until the end of your party."

"Ah, so you've met him?"

I nodded, "Briefly. He called you a prat."

Oshitari grinned, "I _am_ a prat, but only to him." He crossed his arms, "Did you like him?" He must have thought that after he saw my blushing face.

"He's interesting." I said, rubbing my cheeks, only succeeding in making them redder than ever.

To my surprise, Oshitari agreed with me, "It's impossible for him to be not interesting." He smirked, "...But that doesn't stop him from being an asshole."

"He didn't seem like that much of an asshole to me." I said carefully.

"Yeah, well, you just met him." He snorted, "Of course you would think he's a gentleman, everyone thinks that...until they really get to know him. Do yourself a favor and give the ring back."

I frowned, "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing." Oshitari shrugged one shoulder, "It's just...I don't know, he's _Atobe_." As if that really explained everything. "And plus, he's old."

"How old?"

"He turned twenty-two last week."

I only thought for a moment, "...It's not that old, he's younger than my sister."

"Yumiko's different." He said.

"But you still liked her." I reminded him.

That earned me a very sour look, " 'Liked', past tense." Oshitari actually looked quite pretentious about it too, "At least I had enough sense to realize that liking a twenty-five year old woman was bad for me."

"I resent that."

"It wasn't because she was your sister, you know."

"Sure it wasn't." I shook my head, "Whatever, I know you're a pervert anyway." And then I went away, I supposed that wasn't a very nice thing to say to a person on his sixteenth birthday, but Oshitari Yuushi was really a pervert. He deserved that much, at least.

Besides, who was he to jump to conclusions? I didn't even like Atobe. I just found him very interesting, like how Oshitari said he was. So technically, it was Oshitari's fault.

-

Atobe eventually wandered back to the very same corner, and how convenient that I just happened (really) to be sulking there.

"Are you okay, Fuji?"

I jerked up in surprise, I hadn't expected him to be so close to me, but his eyes were dark gray green and very pretty.

"I guess...I'm okay." I sighed, and slid his ring off my finger, "Your ring."

He took it, but still looked worried—worried about me. A little part of me was thrilled.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

I shook my head, "I promised Yuushi I'd sleep over."Even if I was ticked at him.

"You're either a really good friend or an idiot." Atobe said, "Why the hell would you sleep over with him if you're mad at him?"

I didn't say anything at first, but then I said to the floor, "...I'm just annoyed at him. I'm not mad, there's a difference between being mad and annoyed, you know. It's nothing new, and it _is _his birthday."

Atobe looked disapproving. "I'll take you home." He said again. "You want to go home."

I did. But I hadn't wanted him to know. I wondered how Atobe knew.

After a moment, he wrapped his fingers around my wrist, "...If you're sick, it's better you to go home anyway. Come on." With that, he led me out of the room and I could have sworn that Oshitari saw me.

-

Atobe's car was a sleek black sports car, and the leather interior smelled very new and clean. Perhaps this was his private car, since he didn't drive often, it was almost a given that this car would be new and polished. Still, I marveled at it as he opened the door for me. I smiled at him, "I want a car like this when I'm old enough to drive."

He smiled back an amused smile, it seemed a little false. But I tried not to think about it too much, I was just a little boy to him, and he was just being a good Samaritan taking me home. Although he said, "This car is just fancy, it's actually really hard to drive."

I had only known Atobe Keigo for a little while. But the fact that he sacrificed looks for comfort came as a little surprise to me.

-

The speedometer read 80 miles an hour, and I desperately wanted to ask him how much champagne he had drank. Yumiko told me once that it was almost impossible for a person to get drunk on champagne. Though obviously she had never met Atobe Keigo, he was the sort of man that made impossibilities possible.

He did skid to a halt in front of my driveway in one piece, though. The house was completely dark, signifying that no one was home. I expected it though, since I was originally supposed to sleep over at Oshitari's place—and usually when I did that, Yuuta (though he was only thirteen!) was afforded the same privileges. No doubt he had run off to spend the night at Atsushi's again.

And Mom and Dad had obviously decided that at not quite sixteen, I was quite capable on my own. Something I loved about them, but right now, a dark house wasn't exactly what I was expecting...and it was just plain embarrassing for me to ask Atobe to drive me back to the party when he had taken trouble to drive me all the way home.

"No one's home?" Atobe looked at me.

I felt my face burn, "I forgot."

But I opened the door anyway, certain that he had better things to do than loiter outside my house. He was twenty-two, had his own car, and I should be grateful that he even took time out of his regular schedule to drive me home.

"...You're going to stay at home alone?"

I gave him a rather baleful look, "I'm almost sixteen, Atobe-san."

"I didn't mean it like that." He said with a shrug, "...Won't you be bored?"

I paused, "...Not if I go to sleep right away."

"That's boring." Atobe said, with a little sneer to his upper lip, "Come have coffee with me."

Maybe he was crazy, "At ten o' clock at night?"

Atobe's all knowing smirk almost became a smile, "Why not? It doesn't hurt to be a little adventurous, Fuji."

"Erm," Hurriedly, I grabbed the first excuse I could find. "...But I don't drink coffee. Isn't a little late for coffee, anyway, Atobe-san?"

At first, he didn't say anything, but Atobe's smirk fell, and he turned away from me.

"I'm beginning to think you don't like me."

That made my face burn, I couldn't look at him, "It's not that..."

"I was just teasing you, Fuji." His smirk was back, "But if you so insist, I'll see you some other time." He leaned close to me—close enough so I could smell the vague sprinkle of cologne, and he kissed me on the cheek. For some reason, I thought it should have bugged me, but it didn't. It had quite the opposite effect, I wanted very much to giggle, but bit my tongue. "I'm staying at Yuushi's house for the time being, so our paths will probably cross again."

I was suddenly in a hurry to get out of the car, and in the next minute, I was far away, on the sidewalk, so I wouldn't think about joining him for coffee, although I did sort of want to.

Though I did smile and wave, as he drove down my street, "...I'd like that."

Too much.


End file.
